Senator Jungbauer calls on Governor Tim Pawlenty to be honest with Minnesotans

St. Paul – Governor Pawlenty’s leadership on the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord is inappropriate and leads Minnesota and others down a path to greater consumer burden, Senator Michael Jungbauer said today.

“The Governor’s energy and environmental policies are nothing but feel good plans that raise the cost on energy to consumers and do nothing to protect the environment,” Jungbauer said. “I thought the Governor was conservative, but this initiative creates more government bureaucracy and intrusion in an era when we need less government and less intrusion in our lives.”

Pawlenty is in Milwaukee today signing the accord with eight other Midwest governors and the premier of Manitoba. Governor Pawlenty’s multi-state/provincial accord will establish greenhouse gas reduction target, create a carbon cap-and-trade system and develop CO2 capture and storage.

“Cap-and-trade systems just create a new level of taxation on power companies that ultimately will be passed on to the consumer,” Jungbauer said. “Not to mention the extreme costs of capturing and storing carbon dioxide.”

Senator Jungbauer says he is nervous about the long term consequences of such policies.

“We just passed the 25 by 25 renewable energy standards and now this, it feels like a piling on effect,” Jungbauer said. “This could have a devastating effect on the already high cost of energy.”

“The governor has been absent on the real issues that are affecting Minnesotans,” Jungbauer said. “He is abandoning the constituents that put him in office and seems to only care about a personal agenda of higher office. Senior citizens on a fixed income, the poor and middle class will be hit hardest by these costly initiatives. The governor needs to understand that we cannot afford these large increases in energy costs, especially during our Minnesota winters.”

Mike Jungbauer is serving his second term in the Minnesota State Senate. He encourages and appreciates constituent input, and can be reached a t 651-296-3733. By mail to 121 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55115, or via e-mail to sen.mike.jungbauer@senate.mn